Putin’s India visit: How New Delhi has become a battlefield in Russia–Europe power play

New Delhi: The standoff between Russia and Europe over the Ukraine war is now on full display as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares for his visit to New Delhi.

On Tuesday, a joint opinion piece by envoys of three Western countries to India -- the UK, France and Germany -- had claimed that Russia didn’t seem serious about peace and in ending the Ukraine war. In a sharp response, on Wednesday, Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov in an editorial in the Times of India wrote that Russia never sought the war with Ukraine, and by contrast, it was Europe and the Obama administration that precipitated the Ukrainian conflict in 2014 by supporting a coup d’état that overthrew the legitimate president, Viktor Yanukovych, in order to turn Ukraine into a bulwark against Russia.

The article by the three European envoys had slammed the Russian President for the raging war in Ukraine. They had referred to drone and missile attacks, and said, "These are not the actions of someone that is serious about peace. Neither are these indiscriminate attacks mere accidents - they are a systematic choice by Russia to wage its war of aggression with absolute ruthlessness. And it must end." The article also alleged that Russia had refused to engage in meaningful negotiations or agreeing to a ceasefire.

The envoys had pointed out that Russia could end the war tomorrow by withdrawing its forces and ending its illegal invasion. They alleged that Russian attacks have see a steep rise this year. Since the peace talks began, Putin has unleashed 22 of the biggest air assaults of the entire war on Ukraine, they underlined, adding that Russia was never forced into this war and its devastating consequences. Russia is the only nation that wants this war, and it is up to it to put a halt to this aggression, they wrote.

The envoys also wrote in the oped that the governments of Germany, France and the UK -- all NATO members -- will continue to provide "ironclad support” to Ukraine, so that it can rightly defend its people, its land and its sovereignty.

Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov wrote that the 2015 Minsk Accords was brokered by former German chancellor Angela Merkel and former French president François Hollande. "Both later publicly admitted that they had acted in bad faith: the agreement was never intended to bring peace, but merely to buy time for Kiev to strengthen its armed forces and ultimately subjugate the people of Donbass," he wrote.

Alipov added that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the next Ukraine leader, openly breached the Minsk Accords – backed in 2015 by UN Security Council Resolution 2202 – and, intensified military actions in Donbass despite campaign pledges, causing additional civilian deaths. This, he said, prompted the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics to announce independence and seek Russian support. He pointed out that subsequent referenda indicated the people of Donbass opted to join the Russian Federation.

Soon after hostilities started, Russia sought talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. As an agreement neared completion in April 2022, then-British PM Boris Johnson visited Kiev and reportedly prodded Zelenskyy not to sign the pact, Alipov wrote.

He pointed out that "Europe’s hypocrisy has been on full display" as it tries to sabotage the peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. They aim to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia through a proxy war at risk, he claimed, adding that European leaders have stepped up their efforts to fuel the conflict. Against the backdrop of Trump’s outreach to President Putin and their August meeting in Alaska for peace negotiations, "Europe has exposed itself as the true warmonger – and the chief obstacle to peace in Ukraine", Alipov wrote.

The narratives from the European envoys and the Russian Ambassador substantiate the growing standoff between Europe and Russia over the Ukraine war. The piece by European envoys alleges that Russia was carrying out relentless aggression, and was not ready for peace. It also emphasises Europe’s commitment to support Ukraine militarily.

In response, Russia dubs Europe as the instigator, as it contends that the 2014 disturbances in Ukraine — and Europe’s actions following the upheaval — were what added fuel to the confrontation. The Russian Ambassador accuses Europe of hypocrisy, sabotaging peace efforts and trying to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia through a proxy war.

The timing of these pieces is interesting, as they come just ahead of Putin’s visit to New Delhi. This reflects the diplomatic tensions and public posturing. Both sides have used media to present their side of the story. This speaks volumes about the standoff assuming a scale that now covers not just military confrontation, but also aggressive narrative wars. It has spilled beyond the battlefield and is now playing out in the open in the global diplomatic arena.

The narratives also reflect that Europe was trying to present itself as defender of Ukraine, while Russia was trying to position itself as a victim of Western sabotage.

And all this has turned Putin's New Delhi visit into an unlikely stage for a Russia–Europe narrative clash. India’s diplomatic stage is being used by both sides to push their own narratives on the Ukraine war and influence world perception. As they try to shape this perception, New Delhi has become a key ground in the geopolitical war.

The three European envoys had also drawn New Delhi's attention to the alleged consequences of getting too pally with Putin and deepening ties with Russia. Senior officials in the Ministry of External Affairs had said they had taken note of the article, and reportedly called the timing highly unusual and remarked that "it is not an acceptable diplomatic practice to give public advice on India's relations with a third country". 

It was in 2022 that the Ukraine war broke out. Since it erupted, India has refused to take sides, and carefully done a balancing act to safeguard its strategic interests. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often said that "this is not an era of war" and advocated peace. India has avoided aligning with any one ally.